There are times in my life when I feel that everything I do, everything I say, and everything going on around me is exactly what it should be. When I arrived for the Fires of Venus ritual at the Free Spirit Alliance’s Beltane event in May, I knew this was definitely one of those times.

I could feel that I was about to participate in something different, something special. The evening ritual wasn’t just preparation for the weekend-long Fires of Venus event, a sacred sexuality fire circle that will be held in September. This was an opportunity for me to connect with the Divine - a chance to serve, a chance to heal, and possibly a beacon to guide me on my path.

The ritual set in motion a spell to bring Venus (love in all of its many forms) more fully into our lives. Circled around a flickering bonfire and held within a ring of glowing torches, perhaps a hundred people gathered for an evening of drumming, dancing, chanting, singing, sex, and SM to raise and sustain a sacred, sensual energy for several hours.

There were two main ingredients for the spell: Sacrifice and Gratitude. Every person was invited to commit to a specific personal sacrifice and to acknowledge their gratitude for the blessings in their lives. Paper and pencils were available for us to write down our “ingredients,” which we took to the Cauldron of Venus where they were “stirred” with the others to begin the spell. The papers are being saved and will be used to light the first fire—and bring our spell to fruition—in September at Fires of Venus.

While the “official ritual” lasted only a few hours, the energy and sacred space remained in place until after the sun came up the next morning. And the spell that I cast that night to bring love and Venus into my life? It’s proved to be much more powerful than I anticipated, though it is still a work in progress.

I’ve had an interesting ride so far and I’m sure I’ll have quite a tale to tell when the spell is completed. If you want to see how it ends and hear that tale, meet me at Fires of Venus in September for some show and tell.